Lawn trimmer



April 1s, 1929. A .wANGEmN 1,709,640

- LAWN TRIMMER Filed Nov. e, 1925v I WM EaP/55 9%?? 5121/7.

Patented Apr. 1.6,- 1.929.

vUNITED errantes A. WANGERIN, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

' Y LAWN rammen.

` Application led November 6, 1925. i Serial No. 67,270.

- This invention relates to a. lawn trimmer. ki

Objects of this invention are to provide a lawn trimmer which is propelled by means of a handle and is provided with means adjacent the end of the handle-torA operating the lawn trimmer, and which is so constructed of lawn mower in cutting the grass around the edges of the lawn adjacent the side walks, around flowers or vtrees or trees and other similar places.

This invention is designed to provide a machine for trimming relatively inaccessible portions of the lawn which are ordinarily missed or avoided in the use ot the usual'lawn mower.

Further objects are to provide a lawn trimmer which is of extremely simple and reliable construction, and in which means are provided for yieldingly pressing the f cutting blades towards each other, sofas to maintain the correct amountojt pressure between the blades.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lis a side elevation partly in section of the trimmer.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1 with parts broken away.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the trimmer comprises a body portion 1 for accommodating all the active elements is preferably a unitary casting provided with a forward under lip 2 offering a transverse rest,

and an upwardly extending back portion 8.

Preferably this back portion continues around the edges of the machine, as indicated generally in dotted lines in Figure 2. The body portion extends rearwardly and is provided with an inclined socket twhich receives 7 is rotatably mounted and a similar lug'for accommodating the bell crank 21-22. The

roller 7 provides a tractionable foot which forms the apex of a triangular ground rest whose baseis the front edge of 2; the said foot and the said edge relationship, determiningk the'lixed cutting gauge for the shearing elements.y Y

4Thebody portion is hollow, as indicated at l8, to provide an elongated compartment or channel. This compartment is closed by means of a top `plate 91secured'byme`ans of screws 10 to the back portion 3,7as shown in the drawings. This plate extends at its vforward edge downwardly into proximity to the' upwardly extending portion of the bottom lip 2. This portion of the bottom lip has rigidly secured-thereto the 'fixed cutter blade 11, such blade'being attached by screws or inv any suitable manner. A movableblade 12 is provided and contacts with the stationary blade. It is equipped with a downwardly extending rear Vilange 13 which slides insideof the rear'of the stationary blade 11. Tt may also contact, if.

desired, with the upwardly extending pai-tof `the bottom lip 201? the bodyport-ion, as shown in Figure 1. M.The stationary andy-movable` blades are provided with teeth in the usual manner so that relative motion of the blade results in shearing or clipping ythe grass.

` The means oroperating the movable blade comprises a lug 14 integral with the ,movable blade and positioned within the v'cavity 8.

This'lug rigidly'carries an'upwardly extending pin lwhichprojects' througha slot 16 inthe top plate9. Y This pin is received. in the slot 170i one arm-18 o1 the bell crank lever illustratedv particularly in Figure 2.` This bell and has its vother arm 19 connected by means of a ball and socket jointed pitman 20 with the arm 21 of a second bell crank lever. This second bell crank lever has an arm 22 which has a ball and socket j ointV with a rearwardly and upwardly extending pitman or link 23 which projects rearwardly adjacent the handle. The connection 23 is detachable from its p actuating bell crank, andmay be an element IA-ilalar 1 ori-"ficiaf,

crank lever is pivoted to the body portion f of ileXib-le qualities, such as, chain or the like. l

The'balland socket connections offer univer- Ysal joints that permit movements occurring as oscillations, arcuately produced in planes disposed at rightangle to each other, to agree with a reciprocating action manually imparted to the element 23.

The handle is provided with a rockable and lever-like flap or grip 24'equipped with ears 25 pivoted to the handle. This grip or flap is also provided with a projecting apertured lug 26 to which the element 23 `is con-A nected at 27.

ico

In operating this device, it is rolled along the edge of the lawn or wherever the. careful finishing trimming is desired. lVhile itis being slowly propelledalong the edge 'of the lawn the lap or grip 24 is alternately drawn inwardly towards the handle 5 and released. This requires the use of but one hand of the operator as he may, in an obvious manner, readily grip the handle 5 and grip the flap 211. The motion of the `flap is communicated to the movable blade 12 by the mechanism de-A scribed, and causes such blade to reciprocate back and forth across the stationary bla-de. It is to be noted that the retracting motion of the blade 12 is secured by means oit a. spring 2S fastened to the plate 9 at one end and to the arm 18 of the first described bell crank lever. v

In order to insure the correct pressure between thev blades, Va novel means is provided consisting oi two or more springs29 seated in sockets in the downwardly extending portion of the cover 9, as shownparticularly in Figure 1. Each socket also carries a ball 30 against which the spring bears, thus forcing the ball against the movable blade 12. This construction yieldingly holds the movable blade in contact with the stationary blade, and insures the correct pressure between the blades. Further, the ball bearing minimizes rictional losses. l Y

It will be seen-that'a novel :form o lawn trimmer has been vprovided .which is extremely simple in construction, which Vis easy to operate and which may trim any. diificultly accessible portion of the lawn with compara tive ease'. Y i

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail, it is to be understood that the invention may be variously embodied and is, therefore, to be limited only as claimed.

I claim:v e 1. A lawn trimmer having an operative steering handle, a hollow base casting supporting said handle cutting shears projecting ,from said base; connecting means, 111-' tegral with a movableelement of the said shears, reeiprocative within the hollow base; spring returned leverage means, exteriorly pivoted `to said base, attached to said connecting means; a bell-crank oscillatable in a plane at rightangle to the said leverage means; and a link element completing a spring opposcd'assembly ilor allowing a singular gripping force at the aforesaid handle to oppose the spring returned leverage means.

2. In a lawn trimmer the combination of .a dual opcrativeand steering means adapted for singular gripping, a body casting pro vided with a centrally disposed rearward roller, reciprocatingcutting means across the 'front and above the base of said casting7 triangular B-point ground bearing means. provided by said casting and saidv roller, said means fixing and maintaining a minimum` clipping gauge. i'or the aforesaid cutting` means, a singular' handle element terminating. in the dual operative and steering means,

leverage connecting elements uniting the ren'iotely located steering means with the cutting means, and a balancing weight formed by the body casting assembly for iniluencing the said handle to assume its operative position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto lsetmy hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State o Wisconsin. y

.CHARLES A, ,WANGERIN wn-vs... 

